My First Zero Turn - Z545R

Congratulations on your new mower. I went from mowing with a Garden Tractor to using a commercial zero turn and I would never go back to the other mowing method. The right zero turn is so much more effecient and faster. Plus, the correct zero turn mowers have deeper mowing decks, which create more air lift and result in a better cut and a nicer final appearance.

Instead of bagging the grass, try cross cutting and chopping the clippings into the soil. No grass piles to deal with, no baggers to stop and empty and you avoid all of the hassle which goes with hanging counter balance weights on the machine for large baggers, etc.

Try cutting the grass and then as soon as you are done with the first cutting, cut it again at an alternate angle to the first cut. I usually make the second cut at 45 degrees to 90 degrees to the first cut. It leaves a very clean and well cut lawn with the grass all standing up properly and all of the clippings dispersed into the lawn for nutrients. Each time I mow, its at a different angle than the last cut, to avoid any impressions in the soil and lawn.

In the end, even cutting the grass twice will result in your spending no more time mowing than you did on the prior lawn tractor. The second, cross cutting is done at a higher ground speed than the first cut and you can also minimize the mower deck overlap on the cross cut because the grass is already cut and you won't risk leaving any grass uncut and unsightly.

A Material Collection System (MCS) bagger for my new commercial zero turn is a $4,000+ option. The only reason I am getting the Material Collection System is for fall leaf clean up as it will be much faster. Plus large quantities of some leaves can't be chopped into the soil without changing the soil PH and causing more work and expense to keep it stabilized.

In the long run, using this approach helps to reduce the need for adding fertilizer and is seems to manage the thatch level.

NullMind said:

This week I received my first ever Zero turn, a 2021 Z545R

I traded in my X350R with only 25 hours !!

I have about 9000sq mt of land, and a huge chunk of it is lawn and orchard, the X350 turning radius was a bit of a PITA

I managed to do a cut this week, and it took me about 60% of the time that it took with the 350R, and thats not using the bagger on the old one.

I am loving this machine, yes it's quite specific that all it really does it's mow grass, not a tractor, but I have a X585 coming that I will use as my tractor for all the other jobs I need, so this is perfect !

Loving it to bits !

Only downside, I was hoping to add a power flow and bagger to it, but the only option from JD is quite small, only 6.5 Bushel, I do wonder if it's a weight restriction a this is of course back heavy, wonder if there are any other options in the market ?

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Also recently added a Z920 to our stable of mowers . I would never get my mowing done with your scenery !!! Tweels and suspension seat are wonderfull.

My ZT machine.